Properties and spatial distribution of microbiotic crusts in the Negev Desert

Auteur(s) et Affiliation(s)

KIDRON, G.J.

Inst. of Earth Sciences, Hebrew Univ., Jerusalem, Israel

VONSHAK, A.

Dep. of Dryland Biotechnologies. The Jacob Blaustein Inst. for Desert Research, Ben Gurion Univ. of the Negev, Sede Boqer, Israel

DOR, I.

Environmental Sciences Div., Hebrew Univ., Jerusalem, Israel

BARINOVA, S.

Inst. of Evolution, Univ., Haifa, Israel

ABELIOVICH, A.

Dep. of Biotechnology Engineering, Inst. of Biotechnology, Ben Gurion Univ., Beer Sheva, Israel

Description :
Microbiotic crusts play a crucial role in arid regions where they may serve as useful biomarkers for wind power and wetness duration. This is especially the case on relatively the sand dunes in the Negev Desert where high correlations between the crust chlorophyll content and the daytime wetness duration were found. When a cluster analysis was performed, 5 types of microbiotic crusts were defined which differed in their physical and biological properties. The spatial distribution of the crusts, as verified by crust mapping, coincided with the daylight surface duration, which in turn was controlled by topography. It implies that whereas initial physical conditions dictates species composition and thus crust type, the crust type in turn is responsible for characterizing the physical properties of the surface, which may largely affect ecological and geomorphological processes.

Type de document :
Article de périodique

Source :
Catena (Giessen), issn : 0341-8162, 2010, vol. 82, n°. 2, p. 92-101, nombre de pages : 10, Références bibliographiques : 57 ref.

Date :
2010

Editeur :
Pays édition : Allemagne, Cremlingen-Destedt, Catena

Langue :
Anglais